MILTON — Five fifth-graders have been invited to Washington to help First Lady Michelle Obama plant the White House garden this spring.

Superintendent John Barone said he got the call from Mrs. Obama last week.

School district officials said the call was prompted by the district’s changes to its food service. Mrs. Obama had noted a blog post from Milton food service director Steve Marinelli about the fresh meals now available to Milton students, along with fruits and vegetables in their new “self-serve” bars.

The five students are being chosen from essays they’d written about Farm to School programs and how changes in the school food service helped the school and community.